ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Three members of the St. Johns County Airport Authority Board have resigned from their positions after being accused of violating Sunshine Law on multiple occasions, a board member confirmed with News4JAX on Tuesday.
Board Chairman Reba Ludlow and board members Dennis Clarke and Len Tucker resigned after being formally charged by the State Attorney’s Office in late June.
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The now-former board members are accused of attending private meetings to discuss issues meant to be up for public discussion and working together to control the five-member airport board.
Tucker also faces a possible felony charge of tampering with a witness in a misdemeanor proceeding.
The State Attorney’s Office said the meetings happened over years, and each member was well aware of Sunshine Law.
The Florida Sunshine Law establishes a right to access governmental proceedings at state and local levels. That means:
1) Meetings of boards or commissions must be open to the public
2) Reasonable notice of such meetings must be given
3) Minutes of the meeting must be taken
The law requires public boards with elected officials to conduct business openly, prohibiting private discussions between members about potential actions.
On March 10, the Northeast Florida Regional Airport hosted a contentious Airport Authority Board meeting as members addressed the accusations publicly for the first time.
Ludlow, however, pushed back against the allegations, saying it was speculation.
“Until there are some charges, we have nothing,” Ludlow said. “Absolutely nothing except rumors.”
Three months later, those charges came down from the State Attorney’s Office.
At the center of the controversy was also a letter from the Douglas Law Firm, which alleged that Ludlow and Tucker engaged in a pattern of Sunshine Law violations and other ethical missteps.
As a result, the firm decided to withdraw as the airport’s legal counsel.
The board members’ resignation leaves only two people on the board: Michelle Cash-Chapman and Jennier Liotta. Ludlow, Clarke and Tucker have been removed from the Airport Authority Board’s website.
All face the possibility of fines or jail time if found guilty.